In the Classical Period, though miles apart, both Imperial Rome and Han China had parallels and differences in methods of political control. The two civilizations both used the aspects of religion and belief systems to attain political influence over their subjects, but had differing methods to reach this goal. Standardization and cultural unity was a key factor in both civilizations regarding political control, as was expansion and growth of trade.

The systems of belief of both Han China and Imperial Rome were quite different. Rome began with a polytheistic religion but later converted to Christianity, a monotheistic religion, with the arrival of Constantine. Constantine united all of the Roman Empire under Christianity. People began to recognize the substantial favors and special treatment being given to Christians by the central government, so they decided to convert as well. China, however, had a different belief system than that of the Romans, mainly because it was not an actual religion. The Romans had followed a religion based from their culture and homeland, because Jesus was from Rome, while the Han peoples followed a belief system that had been long-standing in Chinese History; Confucianism and Legalism. The Han adopted both Legalist and Confucianist principles when Gaozu defeated competitors for the control and establishment of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu then adopted and placed more of an influence on Confucianism under his rule, using Confucian scholars as government officials. While the actual systems of belief of the two systems differed, the common idea behind political use and influence of religion and belief systems is the same. Both used these systems to rule/govern. Constantine claimed to have been spiritually motivated to convert to Christianity, but later used this fact to bribe others into following his rule. The Han did not have to bribe their people into following the law of government, but Confucianist scholars were elected...

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...Discuss the following aspects of Chinese civilization: Geography and the role it played in the development of China (i.) The major philosophical and religious traditions of the Hundred Schools Period, including Confucianism (ii.) Mohism (iii.) Legalism (iv.), and Taoism (v.) Contrast the relative success, philosophical backgrounds, and governmental policies of the Qin and Han Dynasties (vi.).
Geography played a huge role in the development ofChina. Civilization first emerges along the yellow river. The yellow river is where agriculture first starts in China. What makes the yellow river special is that it is a fresh water river that contains a dense, fertile soil called loess. Loess is what gives the river its yellow color. Aside from the loess being fertile for growing crops, its dense structure is similar to clay and it can be cut into blocks and transported somewhere else to have instant farm land.
The Hundred School Period was a time when, the warring states period was happening. This was a chaotic time but it was also the most creative period in China’s history. The Shi are trying to get away from all of this chaos and violence. The Shi lived at the capital, but once everyone decides that they are going to rebel and kill the king, the Shi decide to flee to the provinces and find safe havens. All the local war lords start to bring the Shi into their provinces. The warlords want to become king and they know...

...Running Head: CIVILIZATIONS
Ancient China and Ancient Rome:
Their Influence in Eastern and Western Civilizations
Sonya Boone
Strayer University
Ancient China and Ancient Rome:
Their Influence in Eastern and Western Civilizations
The ancient countries of China and Rome shared a specific time of social and economic prosperity; China’s Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire. Both were able to succeed in flourishing where other countries failed due to their strong military and government prowess. With an insatiable desire for to land domination, they were able to expand there territories further than any other country had before. Additionally, at the height of their rule, it is estimated Rome’s population grew to 56 million people and China exceeded 65 million people (McLaughlin 2008). Unfortunately, the continual expansion of territories made the ability to control their land effectively impossible. Like most great runs, all good things must come to an end; the empires eventually fell but managed to leave a considerable legacy behind. Rome and China, two of the most powerful and thriving ancient civilizations, can be compared by the influences and contributions they have made to western and eastern civilizations respectively.
Christianity is one of the most significant contributions of ancient Rome to western civilizations. When the emperor Constantine recognized...

...Running head: THE CH’IN DYNASTY AND LEGALISM IN ANCIENT CHINA
The Ch’in Dynasty and Legalism in Ancient China
The Ch’in Dynasty and Legalism in China
The philosophical principles that Legalism was based upon, set it apart from other Chinese philosophical views. These differences appealed to the rulers of the Ch’in Dynasty as they began the unification of China, which gave rise to the first Empire of China. Legalism was based on the premise that humans are inherently evil. A basic punishment and rewards system was put in place. Informers would be rewarded for reporting others for unlawful behavior. Harsh punishments were imposed upon those who were conducting the illegal behavior. The textbook, World History: Before 1600:The Development of Early Civilization mentions Shang Yang, Han Fei, and Li Ssu as some of the main Legalist leaders during the third and second centuries B.C.E. (Upshur, Pg. 109). The book, Chinese, Their History and Culture, credits Cheng or Shih Huang Ti, (meaning The First Emperor, as he was later named) as being the leader who directly affected the unification of the state. Li Ssu and Han Fei were pupils of Hsun tzu, whose theory of absolute power was in concurrence with their ideals. (Latourette, Pg. 67). These leaders and others applied the philosophies of Legalism to their government, and the used the concepts to unite the country.
The...

...Tang dynasty? How did intellectual life change as the dynasty progressed?
Period of Brilliance
 Tang dynasty ruled 618 to 907; Chinese influence spread
 China experienced period of brilliance, prosperity, cultural achievement
 Government, other institutions served as models across East Asia
Civil Service
 To obtain talented officials, Tang expanded civil service examination system
 People had to pass written exams to work for government
 Created flexible law code; model for law codes in Korea, Japan
Built on Sui Foundations
 Established capital at Chang’an, Sui capital
 Second capital located at Luoyang
 Government control remained centralized, based on bureaucracy of officials
The Tang DynastyExpansion
Much of expansion occurred during reign of Taizong, 626 to 649
Taizong relied on talented ministers to help govern
In addition to military conquests, Taizong had schools built to prepare
students for civil service exams
After his death, one of his sons became emperor
Foreign Affairs
Tang expanded China, Chinese influence
Regained western lands in Central Asia, gained influence over Korea
Contact with Japan increased; Japanese scholars came to China to
study
Expansion, increased contact with others grew foreign tradeFrom India
 Buddhism first came to China from India during Han times
 During Period of Disunion many Chinese turned to Buddhism
 Taught...

...Analyze similarities and differences in methods of political control in the following empires in the classical period.
HanChina (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.)
Mauryan/Gupta India (320 B.C.E.-550 C.E.)
During the Classical period, HanChina and Mauryan/Gupta India developed many methods of political control. Although these empires were located in different geographic regions, they both used social hierarchy, language, bureaucracy, and religion as a means of political control. Many of Classical India’s religious beliefs and bureaucratic practices contrasted each other in relation to the ways that they supported the methods of political control.
Like HanChina, Classical India used their social structure system as a method of political control. HanChina developed a social structure based on literacy, and Classical India introduced a caste system based on skin color. Literacy divided China educationally so that lower classes were not capable of taking the Civil Service Exam, and the higher classes were knowledgeably qualified to take this exam and become bureaucrats. The Indian caste system based on skin color created the idea of racial division by placing the lighter skinned people in higher classes and the darker skinned people in lower classes. Both of these systems had a class or Varna that consisted of unskilled people. In...

...The idea of ruling a powerful government based on the principle of using two conflicting ideologies at the same time appeared foreign to most dynasties of early China. In early Chinese times, after the Period of the Warring States, two ideologies emerged: Legalism and Confucianism. Legalism stressed a strong central government that expressed harsh laws while Confucianism had a decentralized government, placing trust in conscientious and learned individuals to work together to solve political issues. These two schools of thought were in stark contrast to each other and, up until the Han dynasty, had never been combined with each other through government policy. The Qin dynasty, for example implemented a strict Legalist government while the Zhou dynasty applied a decentralized Confucianist government, which, as with the Qin dynasty, did not last long. As opposed to the Qin and Zhou dynasties, the combination of Legalist and Confucianist values led to a successful government in the Han dynasty because it gave way to a strong central government along with a rise in cultural and intellectual thinking while also checking each of the ideologies to prevent one from becoming too dominant.
Dynasties such as the Qin and Zhou dynasty showed how the practice of just one ideology in their government was the main catalyst leading to demise. Qin Shihuangdi of the Qin dynasty for example, ruled on the basis of Legalism. While Legalism created a...

...Although both HanChina and Imperial Rome had large, long lasting empires with similar economies and some similar policies centralized governments and similar administrative policies regarding land reform, their techniques of imperial administration differed in terms of how it came to be and how emperors ruled.
One major similarity between the administration policies of HanChina and Imperial Rome was that both empires had very centralized governments. In China, the emperor had all the power. While there were smaller units of government, the emperor controlled everything within the empire. Han China’s government structure was modeled after its precursor, the Qin dynasty. The Han elaborated on the original structure, perfecting it. In Rome, the emperor was also the most powerful; however the Roman people had an illusion of power not seen in HanChina. Although the emperor held the authority, the way the government was set up led people to believe that they had more say in the government than they really did. Both HanChina and Imperial Rome had very strong, successful centralized governments.
Another similarity between the two is that in both HanChina and Rome, the administration policy of land reform greatly reduced social problems and tension. When HanChina...

...junzi
Virtuous
Li: Manners (relationships)
Ren: humanity or benevolence
Improvement of society: responsibility of the ruler
If we do not understand life, how can we understand death?
Ancient Philosophy
Mencius (370-29- B.C.E.)
Human beings are by nature good
Ruler’s duty is to rule by compassion
Responsible monarchy
Daoism: Zuangzi, Lao Zi
Dao De Jing (The Way of the Tao)
Proper forms for human behavior
Nature takes its course
Religion or philosophy?
Do not honor the worthy, and people will not compete
Do not value rare treasures, and people will not steal
Legalism
Human beings are by nature evil and follow the correct path only if coerced by harsh laws and stiff penalties
Only firm action by the state can bring social order
Shang China
The Dawn of Chinese Civilization
Land and People
Civilization in the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers
Importance of geography
At least 8 different ecosystems
ranging from semi-tropical (5 ft rain/yr) to desert-like northwest
Neolithic Settlements
Before 5000 BCE
Archeological evidence
Rice, lotus, millet, wheat
Domesticated dogs, pigs, cattle
Geometric designs on pottery
Oracle bones
The Dawn of Chinese Civilization
Well-organized political systems and dynatic rule began with the Xia (Hsia) dynasty
Founded by Yu, who introduced irrigation and drainage
Shang dynasty, c. 16th century B.C.E.
The Shang Dynasty
Predominantly agricultural society
Ruled by aristocratic class of warriors
Used two-horse chariots
Central...